Meeting Parity - Huh?

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about the challenges some companies are facing in getting their office-based workforce back into the office.

In it, I mentioned meeting parity and I have had a few questions from my followers asking not just about what I meant by that, but also how companies should address this.

So, here it is…

Let's start by looking at what we mean by meeting parity.

It used to be that meetings were only face-to-face but with the advent of technology, that changed.

Videoconferencing is not new, it started in the 1920s but it was in 1968 when the first teleconference call was made, but took a few years to catch on and in reality, it was only after the birth of the internet that it became a real commercial option with IP forming the backbone

Online meetings didn’t really become commercially available until the early 90s and since then remote participants were the exception rather than the norm until Skype launched in 2003 (but mainly as a voice carrier). ?The big change came with the launch of Zoom in 2012, which changed things a bit!

It all grew steadily until, of course, Covid hit. To give you an idea of the Covid effect, in a single day in April 2020, Zoom had 3.2 million downloads!

Then, as most of the world worked from home almost all meetings moved online, which brought about its own issues. (I still want to produce a line of “You’re on Mute” giftware!)

As we started going back to the office, we moved into the era of hybrid meetings becoming the norm.

What do I mean by a hybrid meeting?

A hybrid meeting is where some participants are physically present in the room, while others join remotely through an online meeting platform.

This allows for home workers, multi-site teams, and external companies to join in the meeting.

I’m sure you’ve experienced this in one form or another, and I’m certain you have been frustrated by the experience at some point.

I am always stunned when my kids WhatsApp each other whilst sitting at the dining table which defeats the object of getting together. In the same vein, I’ve attended meetings where those in the physical meeting room are all attending the meeting using their laptops, which kind of defeats the object but highlights why getting meeting room technology right is critical.

So that’s what a hybrid meeting is, and you probably knew that to start with, but to answer the questions, what is meeting parity?

Meeting parity is where attendees are left out and overlooked. It can work both ways I’ve been in meetings where the online attendee gets priority and those in the room are on the periphery, but in the main, meeting disparity is where an online attendee becomes a secondary presence. ?

This leads to people feeling left out, unheard and unvalued. It is bad for business.

This is what I mean by meeting parity. Ensuring every attendee is heard and valued.

There are some key reasons for this, but in the main, it’s down to two things, poor meeting management and, more importantly, poor meeting room design and technology

The thrust of this next bit is to look at the technology and how correctly implemented it can ensure that every attendee is engaged in the meeting and no one feels left out. But let me just touch on the human element of running meetings

Bad meeting management is disastrous for a balanced constructive meeting.

So start with ensuring the agenda is inclusive and that it will take into account both remote and in-person attendees and if you work globally, be aware of multiple time zones.

Establish clear guidelines and etiquette for communication and participation in the meeting.

Establish norms for raising hands and taking turns to speak and make sure you promote active engagement using polls Q&A or collaborative activities but above all else ensure that everyone is heard.

I’d also suggest that you set a format for feedback and suggestions for meeting improvement.

Above all remember, the key lies in being mindful of the diverse needs of your attendees and adapting your approach accordingly.

Lastly, and this is my big bugbear, ensure everyone has their camera on. There is nothing that says I’m not interested, engaged, or bothered than joining a call with your camera off, regardless of the circumstance.

So what about the technology?

• How often have you sat on a web call and only been able to see the faces of a few attendees, unaware of who is on the call?
• How often have you been unable to hear what's going on?
• How often have you been a remote attendee and been unable to see the meeting room attendees properly?

If you've experienced any of these, that’s meeting disparity.

I hear these types of comments about hybrid meetings coming from many of my friends and I do wonder why companies find getting the meeting room technology right. ?

This is something I talk about every day and whilst there is no one fix for everything, there are some basic rules

My first rule is simple – Invest in quality technology

It might sound obvious, but I see companies buying to a tight budget and ending up with audio and video products that simply are not up to the task. It could be that they are buying devices that are rubbish or it could be that they are not buying the right level of devices to suit the room they are going in.

One of the other things I see is the disparity between the desktop of the remote worker at home and the requirements of great hybrid meetings. Quite why companies don’t supply cameras and microphones to remote workers, leaving them to buy their own stuff amazes me.

Oddly this works the other way around when it comes to monitors. Most people tend to have a better monitor on their desk at home than they do in the office (and this is part of the “earn your commute” process I want to cover in another article)

Half the problem though is the AV devices in the homes of the remote worker. It still amazes me that many companies don’t ensure standardisation across the whole hybrid ecosphere.

The other half is the meeting room itself

These rooms have to be fit for purpose, whether they are a small huddle space or a large meeting room the design has to be tailored to the room size, but the technology fundamentals will still stay the same.

The right choice of AV hardware is critical.

Let’s touch on this briefly;

Screens

Make sure your screens are big enough for the room and I’d always suggest in larger rooms investing in a dual-screen setup where you can maximise the screen real estate and ensure that all attendees are in view and that the presentations can be easily seen.

The chat boards in meeting software are also really important and systems like Microsoft’s FrontRow make a feature of this.

FrontRow has also sparked the rise in 21:9 ratio screens and I think we’ll see more platforms adopting this. These systems will allow attendees, presentations, and chat to be clearly seen in the room

I’d also suggest that you look at adding an interactive screen into some rooms to enable a truly collaborative element to your meetings. I’m even seeing rooms now with three screens installed, two for presentation and an interactive device like the Samsung Flip.

Audio

Make sure the speakers in the room are adequate for the space there is nothing worse than tinny underpowered speakers that don’t fill the space, making speech unintelligible and hard to listen to.

An all in once device might just work for some spaces, but you need to test it out for larger rooms.

Microphones

Again, microphones come in all shapes and sizes, some as part of an all in one video device, but many rooms will need external microphones. For me, the best have some form of beam-forming technology and I prefer to use microphones that are not on the table just to lose the clutter.

Camera

All-in-one devices are starting to become the norm but now we’re seeing systems with multiple cameras or even 260-degree lenses that can sit in the middle of the table. These new devices also use AI that monitors both audio and video and the system focuses the camera and audio on the speaker in ways never experienced before. Expect to see the emergence of what some people are calling “Cinematic Meetings” It is going to totally change how we experience hybrid meetings.

Environment

Don’t forget that the furniture plays a critical part. We’ve all seen tables that are wedge-shaped to allow cameras to pick up all the people around the table, but with the advent of cinematic meetings, we may yet see a return to rectangular tables. The reality though is that the furniture has to meet the needs of the room and ensure that all attendees can see and be seen.

Don’t forget lighting and acoustic treatment too. Poorly lit rooms are hard to work in and rooms that echo make even great audio hard to understand.

Summary

Getting a meeting experience that is fair and equitable for all attendees, regardless of their presence isn’t hard. It’s a mix of good meeting management practices and great hardware.

Like everything both these elements have to be properly planned and implemented but the technology and designs are out there, even if many don’t use them.?

Above all let’s start pushing to standardise the workspace, but in the home and on the desk in order to give a consistent experience for everyone, and let’s see the end of four people sitting at a meeting room table all attending on their own laptops.

If you want to talk more about this and the stuff I’m seeing in the marketplace please reach out, I’ll be happy to have a chat.